Tuesday, June 01, 2010

TS:Ack, we almost forgot to make something for Weekend Wokking! The ingredient for this edition is spinach.

We usually sauté spinach with garlic for some greens with our meal, but perhaps that may be too boring for some of you. Well, we thought we'd cook them with sambal this time, but even though that is quite bold and flavorful, it would still look like a plate of wilted greens, photograph-wise. ;)

twists

TS:So, we had to think of something else, but something quick and easy to make. We happened to have some puff pastry in the freezer, so why not make a simple spinach and cheese filling and play with puff pastry?

palmiers

Playtime!TS:This was a good way for us to use some of the cheese we had in the fridge.

TS:For a household that does not eat cheese, we sure had quite a lot in the house! There's Pecorino Romano, smoked Gouda, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Emmentaler.

I decided to go with some Parmesan, Pecorino and Emmentaler.

TS:I quickly wilted some spinach and squeezed out the water. I tell you, I always end up squeezing water out of things around here.

I chopped the spinach then mixed in the grated cheeses. I seasoned with salt and heavily with black pepper. I decided to add an egg to keep everything together.

Mini Tarts

TS:The simplest shape to make was these cups, or "tarts".

TS:I simply pushed in a square of puff pastry into a mini muffin pan and filled them with the spinach-cheese filling before baking.

Twists

TS:For these, I spread the filling on a rectangular piece of puff pastry, then placed another piece of puff pastry on top. I cut this rectangle into strips, then twisted each strip.

Twiiiiist!

Palmiers

TS:This was my favorite.

TS:I spread the filling on a piece of puff pastry, then started rolling in each end. I had to put this into the freezer for a bit before attempting to slice it.

TS:The dough was still a little soft so I had weirdly-shaped palmiers.

TS:But it all came out all right in the end after baking. Don't they look like little edible butterflies?

TS:Try these spinach-and-cheese variations for your next party: they're perfect as hors d'oeuvres. You can make them in advance, freeze them, and pop them in the oven just before your guests arrive.

(Or, of course, you can just keep a stash of them for yourself, for whenever you fancy some buttery puff pastry bites.)

If using fresh spinach, wilt them by boiling or steaming. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the wilted spinach (or the frozen spinach) and chop.

Grate any cheese or combination of cheeses. Mix together with the chopped spinach. Want the filling to be more spinach-y? Add more spinach. Like things cheesy? Add more cheese.

Season with salt and generously with black pepper. Add an egg and combine everything well.

To make mini tarts:Cut puff pastry into squares or circles and fill a mini muffin pan with them. Spoon the spinach-cheese filling into each "cup", then bake.

To make twists:Spread the spinach-cheese filling thinly on the puff pastry. Place another sheet of puff pastry on top. Cut this into strips, then twist each strip. Strips should be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet to bake.

To make palmiers:Spread the spinach-cheese filling on a sheet of puff pastry. Start rolling in each end, meeting in the middle. Put this into the freezer for about 15 minutes to make slicing easier. Slice with a serrated knife and place each slice onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

I think the only way you can explain having so much cheese on hand is that you are a household that doesn't eat cheese. There's none in our fridge at the moment because we do eat it.Great little hors d'oeurves! Of course, everything you prepare looks delicious.

Anon:For specific types of dishes/recipes, exact measurements would be necessary. However, this is not one of those recipes. It really depends on your taste. As the recipe states, add more spinach if you want it more spinach-y, or add cheese if you want it to be cheesier.